John Adams

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In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot -- "the colossus of independence," as Thomas Jefferson called him -- who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second President of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.

Like his masterly, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Truman, David McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. It is both a riveting portrait of an abundantly human man and a vivid evocation of his time, much of it drawn from an outstanding collection of Adams family letters and diaries. In particular, the more than one thousand surviving letters between John and Abigail Adams, nearly half of which have never been published, provide extraordinary access to their private lives and make it possible to know John Adams as no other major American of his founding era.

As he has with stunning effect in his previous books, McCullough tells the story from within -- from the point of view of the amazing eighteenth century and of those who, caught up in events, had no sure way of knowing how things would turn out. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, the British spy Edward Bancroft, Madame Lafayette and Jefferson's Paris "interest" Maria Cosway, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, the scandalmonger James Callender, Sally Hemings, John Marshall, Talleyrand, and Aaron Burr all figure in this panoramic chronicle, as does, importantly, John Quincy Adams, the adored son whom Adams would live to see become President.

Crucial to the story, as it was to history, is the relationship between Adams and Jefferson, born opposites -- one a Massachusetts farmer's son, the other a Virginia aristocrat and slaveholder, one short and stout, the other tall and spare. Adams embraced conflict; Jefferson avoided it. Adams had great humor; Jefferson, very little. But they were alike in their devotion to their country.

At first they were ardent co-revolutionaries, then fellow diplomats and close friends. With the advent of the two political parties, they became archrivals, even enemies, in the intense struggle for the presidency in 1800, perhaps the most vicious election in history. Then, amazingly, they became friends again, and ultimately, incredibly, they died on the same day -- their day of days -- July 4, in the year 1826.

Much about John Adams's life will come as a surprise to many readers. His courageous voyage on the frigate Boston in the winter of 1778 and his later trek over the Pyrenees are exploits that few would have dared and that few readers will ever forget.

It is a life encompassing a huge arc -- Adams lived longer than any president. The story ranges from the Boston Massacre to Philadelphia in 1776 to the Versailles of Louis XVI, from Spain to Amsterdam, from the Court of St. James's, where Adams was the first American to stand before King George III as a representative of the new nation, to the raw, half-finished Capital by the Potomac, where Adams was the first President to occupy the White House.

This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.

What Customers Say About John Adams:

There's no story in all of human history greater than the story that unfolded during the lifetime of John and Abigail Adams with all the events and people who surrounded their life. As David McCullough has said, you can't ever know too much about these guys (our founders) and this presentation is a masterful way to tell us all more than we ever knew about them. It is a must read for every American and should be required reading in history classes across the country that are taught by teachers and professors who have a passion to help young people understand the wonder of how the greatest nation on God's green earth was born.

In his own presidency, Adams ''achieved a rare level of statesmanship'' by beginning peace negotiations with the French Republic, an act of reconciliation that alienated many Federalist supporters and jeopardized his chance of re-election in 1800. He did all his own yard and farm work, and married Abigail who did all her own housework. Abigail never begrudged her husband for his political obligations in France and elsewhere: "He is a good man. The wealth of information from letters and journals of John and his supportive wife, Abigail, opens the curtains on the astounding eighteenth century as well as Abigail's unrivaled influence on her husband. Adams was overall humble and tried to never appear as something he was not. They are opposites but alike in patriotism. His father saw John's potential and sold some farmland so Adams could attend Harvard and become a lawyer. Also, the relationship between Adams and Thomas Jefferson is key throughout most of the book.

The book is full of paradoxes of life. Adams, according to Jefferson, was the delgate most responsible for the Continental Congress's adopting independence. On one contested issue after another over the course of his career -- his insistence as an American emissary that France could stop British resistance to American independence by deploying its navy along the coast of North America; his early suspicion of the French Revolution; his hearty support for an American Navy -- Adams proved right in the end. He traveled as a diplomat to Europe during the 1780's, secured a loan from the Dutch, which was vital for the Revolution. He did his duty, even though he hated be separated from Abigail and his children for years. The American Revolution, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison all come alive with letters, diaries and journal entries painting an exquisite view of the times.

Adams was never idealized like other revolutionary heroes, he was short and stout, embraced conflict, had great humor and devoted to his country. He contributed greatly through his deep sense of public duty, and held his tongue when the greater good was at hand. We watch as events unfold in the Adam's eyes.

Adams life is shown from birth to the grave - he lived ninety-one years. This book is an excellent historical to savor. Would to heaven we had none but such in office.he is a man of principle.he will not violate the dictates of his conscience to ingratiate himself with a minister." When Abigail died in 1818, after 54 years of marriage, Adams wished he could lie down beside her and die, too. Both read widely and had long lives. Exciting changes worldwide are mixed with themes of public duty, pride, scandal, insecurity, and all the complex and entangled ways of human nature. Their relationship ebbs and flows as they struggle through doing their best for the country. They had four children, and the oldest son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth President of the United States.

He served as vice president and cast a still unmatched 31 tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Adams was raised on a farm, the descendant of farmers from Braintree, Mass. McCullough's study of John Adams, second President of the United States, shows a stubborn, bright, honest and wise man, who also has spiteful qualities but is real and impressive. They both die as friends on July 4, 1826. Adams was fortunate he had Abigail who shared his dedication to public duty and high moral standards.

THIS IS A MUST READ.MY WHOLE EXTENDE FAMILY IS ENJOYING IT.X HE WAS JUST A GOOD PERSON WITH AN EVER PATIENT WIFE. HE HAD FAR MORE TO DO WITH ESTABLISHING OUR CONSTITUTION,DEALING WITH FRANCE IN FINANCING OUR REVOLUTION AND ENDING SLAVERY IN THE NORTH. I HAVE ALREADY LOANED IT TO MY DAU-IN-LAW. I AM AN AVID READER OF HISTORY AND HAVE BEEN FOR OVER 60 YEARS. I MUST CONFESS THAT I HAVE SADLY MISJUDGED JOHN ADAMS. HE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ABIGAIL.THE SECTION WHERE HE RESIDES IN THE NETHERLANDS WAS FASCINATING TO ME.DUTCHYY CLEAN HAS A DIFFERANT MEANING TO ME NOW.

It does much to talk of his undying principles, which he believed were important for all if the new nation were to survive.If you are interested in the Revoultion or the founding fathers beyond the signing of the Declaration of Independence, read this book. Not only does it give a year by year month by month account of John Adams' public life but it does a good job of showing you the context in which it occurred in the newly forming country.Besides Adams you also get a different look at Thomas Jefferson, who went from close friend to bitter rival back to friend, Benjamin Franklin in his later years, Alexander Hamilton and a most impressive account of his wife Abigail who was extraordinary on her own.The book paints Adams as one of the great men among the founding fathers, which he undoubtedly was. This is the third book I have read dealing with the Revolution in recent months. I have to say this book is a must. But, it also show him as a family man and a man in need of recognition.

(May 2009). It is a long book, but don't let that stop you from venturing into a fascinating account of how one man's beliefs shaped a growing nation. It was John Adams who held his own as the first American ambassador to Great Britain. Primary among the founding fathers was John Adams, although it appears sometimes that history has passed him by. It was John Adams who went to Europe as the representative of this new nation, United States, to borrow money from the French at first and the Dutch later to wean America away from its erstwhile master, Great Britain. It is an engrossing account of tumultuous times in the birth of a nation and the man who lead it through the growing pains.

The book includes a fascinating account of Adams' rich relationship with his wife Abigail Adams and how much counsel he sought from her, of his deep friendship with Thomas Jefferson that persisted despite events that separated them for many years at a stretch, and much more. He was not as flamboyant as Benjamin Franklin; he did not command armies and won battles as did George Washington; and he was not, as some might say, as refined as Thomas Jefferson. While Jefferson may have penned the words to the Declaration of Independence, those words were shaped and indeed lived in spirit the most by John Adams. And it was John Adams who, while being a deeply religious man, subscribed to the separation of church and state and limiting the powers of the president. But regardless, Adams left a unique stamp on the American Revolution. The American Revolution was a unique experiment conducted by a band of colorful, courageous, and dedicated individuals.

It was Adams who believed fervently in the idea of creating a country based on the basic premise of the equality of all men. This book traces the roots of John Adams from a planter's son to the second president of the United States.